Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Remember when the Rockies couldn't beat the same team twice in a row for like three months? Yeah, so now they're not only doing that, they're actually taking it one step farther and beating the same team three times in a row. They did it to Milwaukee last week at home. Now they're doing it to the Mets in New York. Unreal.Also, thank you Brewers and Mets falling apart at the seams at just the right time. Of course I want to see changes from top to bottom and left to right, but I don't really want to see the Rockies ever loss 100. Very happy they're moving further away from that pace. Winning Player: Wilin Rosario

The Rockies rookie catcher was terrific in Wednesday's win, and it all started in the 1st inning when he ended the Mets mini-rally (one run in, runner on first) by catching David Wright stealing.

Even if it ultimately didn't save a run, it definitely saved Francis a few precious pitches. We all know how vital that is for Rockies starters. In this case, it would help Francis stick around long enough to have a shot at winning (he didn't, of course).

Rosario then got the Rockies offense started in the 4th with a sacrifice fly scoring Jonathan Herrera. The thing I liked most about that plate appearance (aside from the obvious) is that he picked up Carlos Gonzalez, who had just struck out with the runners at second and third. Even if the Rockies didn't get the most out of the opportunity, at least they got something because of Rosario's good work.

That evened the score at 1-1. It stayed that way until the 7th when Mr. Rosario again made a difference with a go-ahead solo homer.

I think the home run speaks for itself. He's a strong kid with scary offensive potential. We need a couple more of those guys.

Turning Point: Those three Rosario moments could all be considered turning points in the game. I also think the Rockies adding two insurance runs in the 9th was a huge difference (Chris Nelson's RBI single and Josh Rutledge's pinch-hit RBI double), especially when you look at how the bottom half played out with New York getting two runners and the tying run to the plate.Jeff Francis' Line: 5 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 4 K, 82 pitches (46 strikes)

Jeff Francis needed a solid outing after throwing out a handful of uneven and flat out rough outings over the past month. He got it at the feeble hands of a woeful Mets offense that had scored only 40 runs in their previous 18 home games coming in. But, hey, that's not Jeff's problem. He still needed to not be awful and succeeded in doing that.

Carlos Torres' Line: 2 2/3 IP, 1 ER, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K

Torres retired seven of the first eight batters he faced before Scott Hairston doubled with two outs in the 8th. Matt Reynolds then allowed an RBI single to Ike Davis to touch up his ERA, but aside from that another marvelous piece of piggyback work from Torres.

What's Next: If you like morning and afternoon baseball, you're about to get your fill over the next four days as the Rockies wrap up their series in New York on Thursday (11:10 first pitch) and then move on to Chicago for the weekend.

First things first though, and that's a chance to sweep the series with the Mets. Tyler Chatwood (3-3, 5.46) will take the ball for Jim Tracy. He'll be opposed by Collin McHugh (big league debut). No idea what expect in this one.

Final Thoughts: The Rockies injury list adds another name with the nasty looking Dexter Fowler ankle injury. X-Rays on the ankle were negative, which is good. But he definitely suffered a sprain, which is bad. Hopefully it's just not really, really bad.

Either way, I think this means Tyler Colvin will be playing center field for a while, which means Jordan Pacheco will be playing a lot of first base, which means Chris Nelson will be at third more, which means we're one more twisted something from Vinny Castilla coming out of retirement.